Last Thursday in Portland - Mini-tour Part1

Wow – it has been really busy since the return from the mini-tour with BC Campbell.  I have stories to tell, coming soon!  Here is a little bit I wrote on the road, but never had a chance to post.

Friday 6/26/2010

Well it is Friday morning here in Beaverton at the Campbell household.  It’s just after 8am and all is quiet except for the dog next door.  I’m assuming that he is filling in for a rooster, or that indeed “things are not as they should be!”  He is doing a fine job in either case. 

It cooled off a bit from the glorious heat of yesterday, especially here in amongst the trees.  It feels like the temperature is on the rise already though and it’s still above 70 in the house.  I hope it gets hot again as today we will hit the road and head down I5 toward Shasta – California or bust!  I’ve been told (thanks Hilary!) that jumping into Lake Shasta is a really good idea, especially when it’s hot.

Yesterday was hot.  It was Last Thursday, so the festival was going on along Alberta Street.  Artists, musicians, and the quickly multiplying Portland street food carts mingled with hippies and whatever you call those people who look like hippies but really are peddlers of cheap trinkets from Taiwan.  There was a pair of kids with video cameras trying to shoot scenes for (I’m assuming) their upcoming feature.  They decided we would be cool to have in the shot, or at least that is what I’m assuming since they kept on sneaking up on us like they were hunting wabbits.  “Frick’n paparazzi!” I growled at them just to let them know they had no sneak.  A kid oughta have some sneak.

BC and I played at the Alberta St Pub.  It’s a cool little room with a decent sound system and plenty of places to sit.  They have a layout where the bar is in the center of the building with its counter facing out to one side.  The stage is on the other side of the dividing “wall” that is behind the bartender.  So if you walk in the front door, to your left leads to the bar, to the right is the music room.  There is a lot of sonic spill from one side to the other, mainly in the form of the jukebox being audible during the show, which opened with a quiet acoustic set from: - 

Lizzie  Lehman - She has a really good singing voice, and some cool original sounding chords thanks to some tricks with two capos.  She said she has been writing songs for 6 years and playing music since she was little, but has really only just made the move from open mics to booking her own shows.  The songs were young perhaps, but thoroughly enjoyable.  Her accompanist (on Gibson Hummingbird no less) was technically proficient, and musically far too fussy and busy.  Less noodle please.  (I’m trying to take my own advice as I play with more songwriters, so I know it is hard.)  It’s so much fun to pull out all your tricks and play all the time.  But please.  Less noodle.

We played second and managed to clear out the young ‘uns that had come to see Lizzie.  I didn’t really believe they were of age, but I did just turn 39 on Wednesday, thus I am allowed for a couple of days to talk about how everyone under 30 looks … twelve.  Remaining in the room to cheer us on were the Buoy LaRue folks and the family Campbell.  By the end of the set it was filling up again and once Buoy was on, the room was solid.  People actually cheered and clapped, and it was a lot of fun.  Seattle audiences take note – clapping and cheering is fun!

Buoy LaRue closed it out.  The band is Michael Herrman on guitar and vocals, in this case accompanied by Adam Hoornstra on viola and Will Amend on bass.  We (yours truly and the quick-witted Campbells) pretty quickly identified the viola as “not a fiddle” since it was clearly being used more classically than folkyly.  Yes folkyly.  Well I’m not going to say “folksyly” am I?  These guys can really play, and Michael is a pretty good storyteller, definitely check them out if you get a chance.

I’m off for coffee and breakfast, then we’ll pile in the car for the longish haul down to Mount Shasta.  More to come…

Lindsay Fuller: The Last Light I See

“The good lord he giveth, and then walks away”

I was lucky enough to catch a fine set by Lindsay Fuller at Conor Byrne last Saturday.  She was accompanied by Jeff Fielder, on dobro and nylon string guitar, and Rebecca Young on bass.  I scored a CD, Fuller’s 6th – The Last Light I See, and I’m listening to it now.

Fuller manages to combine literacy with story telling in a way that avoids burying the songs in “clever.”  The lyrics are just better than yours - sorry.  They have the difficult-to-achieve quality of being readable as poetry, without feeling heavy-handed or verbose.  It takes an intrepid writer to take on Leonard Peltier’s incarceration (Big White Lie), to find a good rhyme for “Prometheus” (East Grand Exit), and to reference The Scarlet Letter (Trigger Happy).  I am in awe of the integration between intelligence and song-craft.

How does she do it?  It’s all in the delivery.  Lindsay Fuller fulfills the promise of the lyrics, in a voice that already feels classic to me.  There are hints of Lucinda Williams without the Texas, or Gillian Welch without the California, but really her voice is her own.  She is intense, hurt, lonesome, angry, hungry, but - most importantly - she is believable. 

The mood of the whole disc might be summed up by the quote above. 

“The good lord he giveth and then walks away.”  Beauty and love - the gifts of the gods perhaps - are here, but temporary.  Blood and bone, the limitations of a hurting human body are here to stay.  When you need them, these songs express the fight to survive, and the longing for joy inherent in our condition.

This record will be in heavy rotation here at the Farfetcher house.

About the players:

Along with Young and Fielder, Fuller is joined by Mark Pickerel on drums and Jason Staczek on keys.  Phil Peterson and Aubrea Alford provide cello, viola, and violin.  With production by Matt Brown and Jeff Fielder and a lush mix from Johnny Sangster, the disc has no fluff.  It is all straightforward folk rock and uncluttered arrangements.  Lindsay’s voice is front and center, and the focus is on the songs.

Mark Pickerel brings solidity and energy to the songs, whilst maintaining an orchestral approach.   His big low voice can be heard on tracks 3,5 and 6 of The Last Light I See.

Rebecca Young displays equal facility with electric or upright bass, and a no-nonsense style – you get the right note, at the right time.

Jeff Fielder is now clearly a first call session musician and accompanist here in Seattle.  His melodic approach, and multi-instrumental fluency complement Fuller’s voice, and add an emotional depth and color.

Jason Staczek is a composer and plays piano, Hammond organ and accordion.  I’m sure 7 years making records as owner of Chroma sound didn’t hurt his musicality, or his sense for space, both of which come through on the record.

Phil Peterson (House of Breaking Glass studio) I’m guessing is also the arranger for the string parts.  Together with Aubrea Alford on violin he provides a cinematic, wind-sweeping-over-the-plains depth.

Links:

http://www.lindsayfuller.com/home/

http://www.myspace.com/goodcountrypeople

Lindsay Fuller, The Holyfelds, The Starlings @ Conor Byrne

Last night Anne and I went down to Ballard to the old familiar Conor Byrne Pub.  I had a very pleasant surprise, and fell in love with the opening band – Lindsay Fuller.  I’ll blog a review of her new album very soon.

We were there to see the Starlings play.  Moe and Aimee (bass and drums, harmonica and vocals) are back from their bicycle tour and so it was a chance to see the starters in the game.  They sounded great, and it was a fun time.  The new CD will soon be out and you can check it out your own selves.  Highlights were Fallen Days (For the one on the run) and Apple Tree.  Anne and I had no choice but to shake a tail feather.

OK, so back to Lindsay Fuller.  The usual Conor Byrne racket made it hard to hear unless you were up front, and the usual no-one cares unless you are “famous” factor meant that a lot of people missed seeing two of Seattle’s finest musicians backing her up – Jeff Fielder on dobro and nylon string guitar, and Rebecca Young on electric bass.  Jeff also sang some well-blended background vocals.

There were obviously some people in the know, given the cluster-fuck of cameras and recorders.  Even with this indicator for the more astute beer drinkers, that strange semi-circular realm of death which no living person should enter still glared ominously at the crowd from just in front of the monitors.  I’ll admit Lindsay has been described as “intense” (thanks Mike), and perhaps that is why nobody wanted to get up there, or maybe like me they were trying to get in the cone of sound from the PA just to hear the music.  The music was great.

In the middle was The Holyfelds who brought some danceable energy and searing harmonies to the stage.  They also brought an autoharp, which I must admit gives me the heebie jeebies, however given the aforementioned hullabaloo I couldn’t really hear it, or the dobro for that matter.  Ahhh bad sound, why do you haunt me?

http://www.lindsayfuller.com/home/

http://www.myspace.com/goodcountrypeople

Help me out with a link for the Holyfelds will ya?

BC Campbell, The Elderly, and Eric Claesson and the Scowlers @ Mars Bar

Back to the Mars Bar with BC Campbell, this time opening for The Elderly and Eric Claesson and the Scowlers.  Finally its was hot in a bar, this endless cool weather is really putting the blues into this city.  Settled in with a Manny’s and off we went. 

When you play out in a band that is still paying dues, you can end up on some funny bills.  There was the time when Pelusa played at the Old Peculiar doing country and folk songs and between sets the bartender was rocking the Pantera.  I also love the sets where the acoustic guitar duo has to play after the big drums rock band – NOT.  You would think the club or the bookers would figure it out.  Well I’m here to tell you that this time, someone did.  We had 3 bands with different styles, yet similar enough to be on an i-pod playlist.  The order went from quietest and smallest group to loudest and with drums.  Everyone was super to talk to and hang out with, and the music was great.  Thanks Mars Bar.

BC Campbell I’ve talked about before, suffice it to say that we are getting better every time and we had fun on stage.

The Elderly were new for me, and I enjoyed the set tremendously.  3 singers --- doing complex harmonies rather well considering the stage mix in there.  Guitar, percussion, banjo.  Unfortunately I don’t have a link for you, and describing music is difficult when the comparisons are not obvious.  This is why there are so many horrible one-sheets out there, and why the question “what kind of music do you play?” is something every band should practice the answer to.  I personally have no idea

Eric Claesson and the Scowlers brought some big reverb guitar and a low voice to some cool Americana songs, and even a David Bowie (Labrynth) cover!  Also, they wore suits, which I appreciate, especially when its hot in the club.  Comparisons we made while sitting there were to Nick Cave, Chris Isaac, Jon Spencer and argh BC will have to remind me the rest – comment it will ya? 

Same goes for anyone with a link to the Seattle elderly, not the Pittsburgh band that likes  DMB, or the Swedish guys (!).  Just comment the link please.

An interview with Rich "Money" Bresnahan

People want to know – who is Rich “Money” Bresnahan?  So I did an interview with the man himself sitting in the noisy office at OTB.  We had a beer and talked about Minnesota, steak burritos, the Seattle Sounders and art.  Listen to the podcast for the story.

FF Rich Money by Farfetcher

Black Gold is in the Water: a song for the gulf

Like most everyone I’ve been following the story of the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.  My friend Tania posted this link on facebook and it really struck home.  At the same time I was looking at pictures from high-school friends back home in the Bahamas, including the other much better off dolphin to the right.

Basically it pisses me off.

I know we are all complicit.  I drove my car to work burning oil today, but BP and Halliburton (really these guys again?!?) should make no profits at all until this mess is cleaned up, every cent devoted to environmental and social restitution.  I’m pretty sure that’s not how it's gonna go down though.

Reading that article, and realizing that there is an underwater channel 7 miles long (more dirt moved than for the Panama Canal) leading into the river (MRGO – Mississippi River Gulf Outlet) freaked me out a bit.  Then reading that the drill on Deepwater Horizon went 35,000 feet deep really slapped me stunned.  Don’t airplanes fly at 35,000 feet?

So I wrote a song, and Anne helped me edit it.  You can listen to a rough recording HERE.  I would love some feedback, if people relate to it, I will do a proper recording and release.  If that happens we are going to donate all (any?) profits to GulfAid.Org.  If you want to cover it – just send me a link to your version and any money goes to the gulf please.

Black Gold Is in the Water (copyright Julian Martlew & Anne Curtis 2010)

This morning’s tide was black and blue, Black Gold is in the water

On Interstate 10 you can smell the smoke, from Biloxi to Pensacola

The fiendish schemes of countless fools, now twisted steel and wreckage

Eleven men died on that rig, their fire was extinguished.

The deepest hole they ever drilled, Black Gold is in the water

35 thousand feet straight down, straight south of Pascagoula

April 20, 2010, the gas caused the explosion

That rig sure lived up to its name, Deepwater Horizon

36 hours that fire burned, Black Gold is in the water

42 gallons in a barrel of oil, half million barrels squandered

That black blood still flows from the vein, that geyser in the ocean

Those fiendish fools they all forgot, Black Gold is also poison

The beaten bruised and burning sky, South of Mississippi!

Bears witness to the costs of pride and profits without Mercy.

Mississippi, Louisiane, Black Gold is in the water

No gold or silver in your hand, no music in the Quarter

America’s two poorest shills, have more Black Gold than Texas

But working folks can’t pay their bills, the deck is stacked against us.

Now bruises fade o’er broken bones, Black Gold is in the water

Clear ocean smells like diesel fumes, that crude hid undercover

If you make your living from the sea, your livelihood is stolen

No you can’t swim and you can’t fish, they stole the whole damn ocean.

The beaten bruised and burning sky, south of Mississippi!

Bears witness to the costs of pride and profits without Mercy.

September when the storm-winds sing, Black Gold is in the water

White lab coats with smart machines, cannot control the weather.

Katrina, Dennis, Dean, and Ike, rushed up through MR GO

And Hurricanes as yet Un-named, won’t tell which way they’ll blow

Men in pride who face their gods, have never learned their lesson

And you and I will pay the cost, of Deepwater Horizon.

This morning’s tide was black and blue, Black Gold is in the water (repeat)

Before the doors opened: On The Boards NWNW Festival 2010

It’s been maybe 8 years now, I’ve been working at On The Boards theatre.  This season is close to being over, the NWNW Festival is the last blast.  Perhaps you can allow me this moment of nostalgia?  Looking around, it’s maybe the middle of my life, a time of grandparents and sometimes parents passing, of kids I remember being born now going to school, big changes and little.  Also it’s finally the transition from what we call “spring” in Seattle to what we call “summer.”  Which begs the question -   “What have I been doing with my life?”  I have a good answer though, read on.

I’m sitting in the theatre now, listening to the HVAC and the bass from the show downstairs in the Studio, while the dancers performing later up here warm up. Dancers stretching is pretty calming, quiet conversation and occasional laughter drifting up over these familiar blue seats.  It’s one of my favorite times in this business; I know what I have to do for the show, my cue list is ready, I’ve eaten dinner, and it’s time to get in the calm headspace I need to do my job well. The On The Boards technical team is superb – Illvs Strauss on lights and Mark Meuter on the deck – we’ve done this before.  Oh – and I’ve mopped the marley.

For those that don’t know, the marley is the dance floor we lay on top of the dance floor – it rolls out like pieces of linoleum over the sprung floor (layers of fancy plywood with compression pads in between).  We literally tape it down with gaff tape.  The one out now is white on one side, and on the side facing up at the moment is a sort of dark charcoal, basically its black.  Before each show we sweep and mop the marley.

I love mopping, getting into a rhythm, the sound of the mop on the floor, the clear progress.  I prefer to do it without music playing.  I have my mental geographical markers for rinsing the mop.  I keep the mop pretty dry.  I work slowly, knowing that in this case, mopping doubles as an inch-by-inch inspection of the floor.  The aforementioned dancers will be barefoot and balancing here. Their connection to the choreography is the marley. Timing matters too, this warm-up I’m watching out of the corner of my eye is thankfully after it has dried.  We can’t control what bits of debris from the outside get carried in, but the effort has been made, the marley is clean.

The doors open in an hour, the public will come to see the results of years of training and hours of rehearsals.  The show may not work.  The people may not like it.  The critics may disparage.  Or maybe I’ll hear a standing ovation tonight.  I know the fear; I feel it when I play music, the doubts about technique, the questions of composition, the terror of performance.  I know the joy of earned respect and acclaim that may come after.

I look up and see friends and artists - brave performers beginning to move across the floor.  I’ve been watching them create, grow, change, fail, and succeed.  I’ve been here for years.  What have I been doing?  I’ve been trying to help them.  Oh – and I’ve been mopping the marley.

Softly Now @ the Rendezvous

Wednesday night, the Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre, I’ll skip the  history this time as I covered it in an earlier post - reposted here.  Playing in order of appearance - BC Campbell, with yours truly on guitar, Sam Watts as “Ghosts I’ve Met”, and Alex Guy as “Led to Sea”.

This show was curated by Levi Fuller; as part of his “Softly Now” series, which you can go and see the first Wednesday of every month.  The show was early, which is great for a week-night event, we were on by 7:30 and the whole shebang was over by 10pm.  Perfect!  Get a little dinner, catch a show, still have time to chill before sleep and back to the grind on Thursday.  PS It was great to see Renata Almeida at the show – hooray!

Our set went well, BC is singing great, and the new songs are coming together nicely.  The sound was great- clear and loud without being too loud – sound guys love an “acoustic” night because its easier to make things sound good when the stage volume is lower – especially in smaller rooms.  We really hit it on “I Believe” and “Tell Me” –  there are recordings of both from the basement on BC’s myspace page linked below.

I had never heard Ghosts I’ve Met before, and I was pleasantly surprised – Sam has a quiet approachable voice and big sounding chords, with some really great lines in the lyrics.  It was nice to get a chance to listen to his Taylor after BC’s Martin – live comparison!  Still no clear decision, the Martin has more good mids, the Taylor is brighter by far, always will be a taste thing I think.  If I was moneybags guy I guess I’d have a Martin for plectrum stuff and the Taylor for fingerpicking.  Favorite song, “Payphone Patience.”

Led to Sea (a Stranger genius nominee for those in Seattle) is viola player and singer Alex Guy, with an assortment of effects pedals and loopers.  She sings in the post Tori Amos school, and I clearly hear the connection to Mirah, and Laura Veirs.  Her solo show is impressive, she will win some fans on tour this summer.  The music is arranged beautifully, and she plays “out” enough to keep the listener on alert.  Fans of Andrew Bird, 2 Foot Yard or maybe even Maya Beiser will find a new record to love with “Into The Darkening Sky”.  Locals in the scene – Paul Kikuchi on percussion is a stunning player, and Lori Goldston (the Kevin Bacon of Seattle musicians I swear she knows everyone) played some cello, and Jherek Bishoff on bass is a player too. 

Here’s your links:

http://myspace.com/bccampbell

http://www.myspace.com/softlynow

http://www.myspace.com/ghostsivemet

http://www.myspace.com/ledtosea

http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2010/06/02/led-to-sea-at-the-rendezvous-tonight

Repost - Rendezvous with Shasta Bree

Playing with Shasta at the Rendezvous.

http://www.rendezvousseattle.com/index.html

Ok – so for those of you that do not live in the (sunny today!) berg that is Seattle, the Rendezvous is one of those bars that has mythical status.  Everyone knows about it, has an opinion, and quite likely has gotten way too drunk there once.  It was one of the first places I ended up in back in the 90’s (that’s more than a decade ago people) and I remember it as a dark scary place with a real tough bouncer, cracked out people getting in physical altercations in the front room, incredibly strong drinks, and people who didn’t work for the Rendezvous but did work at the Rendezvous selling things that I wasn’t sure I didn’t want.  Tony who played this gig with us (more on him later) reminded me that you used to be able to cash your welfare check at the bar. 

Years later, new ownership, and about half the things I remember are changed.  Its not as dark, no crackheads, no deals that I saw going on.  The drinks are still strong, but since you can’t smoke inside, its not as hard to catch your breath after the first swig.  This gig I was giving my liver a rest, so I vicariously enjoyed the occasional gasp for air, and the way everyone’s eyes kind of slid off me like it was too hard to concentrate.

Every gig at the Rendezvous has to be weird.  I knew from experience not to get there too soon – the first time I played there I ended up standing outside in the cold rain, because the burlesque dancers wanted to finish packing up the feathers and rearranging the goodies into street wear without putting up with the gawking of some skinny guitar player.  This night it was the Job Stress Comedy Show, which I hope was funny, but I am just going to imagine that it involved employees of the Rendezvous slandering the owners of the Rendezvous whilst doing shots of Goldschläger.  Whatever it was, there were girls with feathers and glitter standing about as I pulled up to the no parking zone, hit the emergency blinkers and started loading.  Bouncer was still tough, but friendly.  Left Anne with the stuff and found rockstar parking.  As in I parked next to a chain link fence a block away, where various rock stars watched my car for me.

Inside – met Malachi – the sound guy named after the last minor prophet (I know this is debatable so you religion majors can take it to your own forum).  He does what he can with a strange room and not much gear.  Oh – did I mention it’s the Jewelbox Theater?  Nagahide booths man.  And some better than folding chairs.  The stage sounds strange, but it actually sounds decent in the house if you are willing to be quieter.  Which is hard to be willing to do when there is a DJ throwing down in the Grotto – ie same bar, private party room.  “I wanna rock right now, I’m rob bass and I came to get down” except really fast, and with a techno beat.  Thump thump thump, and now Acoustic Night at the Rendezvous!

1^st up – 15 year old Cole Parrish, who impressed me with her togetherness and comfort on stage, and a tough girl handshake when she introduced herself.  Her songs and voice are already well on the way to being great, and I can see her doing really well.  You might as well go to her myspace now and listen to a cover of “Say My Named.”  Stay and hear some of her own stuff if you dig her voice, she’s got things to say.

http://www.myspace.com/coleparrishmusic

2^nd act – Sadie and the Crooked Road – a new band for me, always fun to meet some new folks doing the folks music.  They are on a multi date go round with Star, so you can catch them if you missed this one.

http://www.myspace.com/sadieavaonline

3^rd up – Shasta and yours truly – we played a shortened set as the 5 band bill was not going to fit in the allotted time.  Tony and Star did the same at the end, to get us done by 1am (thanks Malachi for the extension)  Lucien and I got our thing going quick, I love playing with people that listen to each other, and he is really making the new GFI pedal steel sing sweetly now.  I love this instrument.  Resisting getting one.  For now.  Also we wore suit jackets.  Shasta and Val harmonized well despite wanting a lot more monitor J

and a blue dress was debuted.  With pockets!  Pics here

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1072106&id=1448525992

Music here

http://www.myspace.com/scarletthearts

4^th - Then Tony Fulgham showed us all up, just by being the guy who belongs on a stage, so easy up there.  Every now and then I hear Elvis Costello when he is singing (hope you don’t mind Tony) and everyone in the place wants to get a beer with him.  He also took the energy up, which almost defeated the DJ, who was ramping up too.

http://www.myspace.com/tonyfulgham

Finally the fans who waited so patiently, got themselves a tight half hour from the amazing Star Anna (just Star and Justin on acoustics this show) which was almost enough time for her voice to reach full power.  It was nice to hear people really digging the show, real fans.  Go see them on the 4/30/2010 at the Tractor in Ballard, and swing by Conor Byrne and catch me doing some Willie Nelson with the  Pennylifters beforehand.

http://www.myspace.com/starannakrogstie

http://staranna.com/

Duke grad on the top 40 charts

Alright, this one is for my Cameron Crazies out there, and the Boggers in particular.  Please, tell me what is up with Mike Posner.  (Is he related to Adam?)  Apparently he just graduated with a 3.59 (B.A. in what?)  My first suspicion was that he was some kind of e-bag, then I figured with all the weed he was a Beta.  Nope – Sigma Nu.

Listening to/ watching the tracks on YouTube (here) I can not readily identify any reason to think this dude is “cooler than me,” or the p-froshwomen (yes “froshwomen”) in designer shades. But then again I graduated “O laude” as my mom likes to call it, and that was 14 or so years ago now, I guess I have to admit I no longer have my “finger” on the pulse of the college scene.  Still, there are football cheers with more poetry than this – remember “thrust the ball into the air, receive it with reckless abandon” and “we make holes in teeth.”  Of course there was “Put Newell on the nose, or were taking of our clothes” so I get that errrrr simple and direct has a certain hooky thing, hold on let me listen again.

By the way, what does “Ice Road Truckers” have to do with “Drug Dealer Girl” ?  OK, so his voice is more high school than college, though its kind of fun to see the quad back there – and I think its time to take up yoga, not sure why.

Getting his songs on itunesU was a pretty good move though.  Seems a little less egregious than selling the university comp tix like the guys at Kansas.  I can’t help it though, all I can hear is a bunch of guys in the back of every beat yelling “Moses!” in time to the music.

Go Devils. GTHCGTH!

Bob Dylan to play Bumbershoot

So the big news today is that Bob Dylan will headline at Bumbershoot this year!  The tickets price for a day pass is only $40.00 including the mainstage shows, if you decide to skip the big names you can get in for only $22.00, which is really cheap.  40 bones is cheaper than a Dylan ticket.  If you want to spend big bucks of course you can still go for the VIP tix at $450.00 for all 3 days, reserved seating and separate entry from the unwashed masses.

Having just gone to the Folklife festival this past weekend at Seattle Center, which was free with a suggested donation box, I can say that the chances of Bumbershoot being packed to the gills just went through the roof.  Folklife was already elbow to elbow on the pathways, though not much of the music was engaging enough to draw crowds at the stages.  I didn’t see that much to be fair – It was cold, rainy, and I was in cherrypicking mode, just went to see friends play (the Starlings). 

I’m already hearing the usual complaints that accompany the booking of Dylan – he’s old, he mumbles, he doesn’t care – but the fans know none of this matters.  I have a theory that ever since the booing that started in ’66 stopped, he’s been trying to get people to react any way he can.  The last time I saw him (with RD and Grilled Cheese here in Seattle) he sang every song using the same 2 notes “Like a rollin stooooone,  Maggies faaaarm no more, times they are a chaaaaanging,” and he played electric piano almost all show, finally putting on the acoustic at the end, and then barely playing it anyways – Larry Campbell knows what to play.  Its hit or miss how he will be (those crappy shows in the 80s ouch) but the band is so good even on a bad day it’ll be fine.  You know all the words anyways.

“Who will go?” is a question my buddy Meuter raised, and it’s a good one.  Its like a socio-cultural survey – will the kids go, or only the older folks?  Looking forward to finding out.  The set times have not been listed yet, so I don’t know if I will be done with KEXP’s secret location music lounge in time to make it – assuming I have the gig again .

Dylan is in Europe now, and the set lists seem to have plenty of the hits in them, go here to take a peek.  As usual though, no way to tell if the pattern will hold through September.

Other artists I’m hoping to see :

Neko Case, The Decemberists, Visqueen, Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers, Star Anna, Laura Veirs, and I still love Bobby Bare Jr every time I see him live.

Ozomatli are always fun live, and intrigued to see if Justin Townes Earle has something new in the bag.  The whole list of performers is here.